Apart From EVs And Synthetic Fuel, Porsche Opens The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Development Option

Porsche 911 Turbo (992) side by side with the old 911 Turbo (930). (Doc. Porsche AG)

JAKARTA - Hydrogen fuel is increasingly in the spotlight in the development of alternative energy, and Porsche, an automotive brand from Germany, is increasingly involved in research and development of this technology. This step is reflected in Porsche's new patent filing, signaling the company's determination to open doors for the use of hydrogen in various models in the future.

Reporting from CarBuzz, Friday, January 12, Porsche is exploring the possibility of implementing hydrogen on some of its models. The move comes after Porsche's success in assembling an internal combustion engine (ICE) with hydrogen in 2023, using a 4.4 liter V8 engine applied to a 2,650 kg model in the luxury segment.

It is important to note that Porsche does not only view hydrogen as a substitute for gasoline or diesel in internal combustion engines, but rather leads to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. This vehicle is actually an electric car that converts hydrogen into electricity, providing high efficiency to battery and charging needs.

However, Porsche's innovative move is in contrast to Volkswagen's decision, its parent company, which chose to rule out hydrogen fuel options and focus more on developing electric vehicles (EVs).

In addition to research on hydrogen, Porsche is also involved in the development of synthetic fuels. They have invested more than 100 million US dollars in eFuels development and production, with 75 million US dollars used to acquire interest in the HIF Global LLC in April 2022.

With this combination of innovative approaches, Porsche affirms its commitment to exploring various sustainable solutions, either through electric vehicles or through technology development such as Direct Air Capture (DAC). Porsche seems ready to explore a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

For information, Toyota is one of the pioneers in delivering hydrogen energy and has been successfully applied to Toyota Mirai as its first Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) production car. Hyundai is also working to multiply this ecosystem while BMW has developed hydrogen energy in collaboration with Toyota on iX5.